You Dont Need No Stupid Metal 2

i have  posted this before and felt the need to post it again. i am such a huge advocate and as a future natural child birth teach i feel a need for more people to be educated.


I don’t know how many times I have heard that I’m foolish for wanting a natural childbirth. I suppose I could understand where people are coming from. Why would any one want to feel such pain when now days through medication you just don’t have to anymore? If you want to get medicated during your delivery then that’s your choice and there is nothing wrong with that. I can respect any decision made as long as you have done your research about that medication. And in some cases medical interventions save the lives of mother and baby and in those cases I think medication and even csections should be used.
For me and some others it’s just different. I WANT to feel that pain. For me its not torture. Instead for me it’s knowing that I am actually giving birth to my child instead of just attending the birth. Now I’ve heard it more times then I can count and you’re right, you don’t get a medal for not getting an epidural or doing it natural. If you do than I missed out and will be contacting my hospital to get mine cause that was hard work. However you do get a sense of achievement, you will never be more proud of yourself and you will feel like you just concord the world. That in itself is way better then some medal ill tell you. Cause that feeling stays with you forever and actually does have an effect on you and how you make future decisions.


now what gets me most is how moms say (and i do believe) that they would die for their kids before they would let any harm come to them but then when they get into a very physically painful situation like labor then all that just goes out the window! knowing that there is even a small possibility that harm could come to your baby why would you even want to chance it for your own pain relief? is it selfishness, ignorance in not knowing the real facts? I could go on an on and on and still not get my point across. So ill leave it there.
This is research that I have done on epidurals. Pretty much everything I’ve read with recent research says the same thing. It hasn’t been till the last few years that there has even been research done on epidurals and the long term effect it has on the baby. So here you go, don’t argue with me argue with the scientist who have came to these conclusions based on data and facts =)

Epidurals are becoming increasingly popular as a method of relieving the pain of labor. Many women can not understand why a woman would labor without one. Many physicians love them because the laboring woman is calm and quiet, easy to control. Many hospitals take advantage of the docility of epiduralized women to increase the patient load of nurses, who are freed up from their labor support responsibilities Walking down the hallways of a hospital that uses a lot of epidurals can be an eerie experience. The labor floor is quiet and still. Women watch television and talk on the phone as they await the birth of their babies. Some of them even complain of boredom..The clear benefit of epidurals is that they can totally relieve the pain of labor. The procedure involves the placement of a needle into a space in the back near the spinal cord. Local anesthetics and sometimes narcotics can be instilled directly or, more commonly, a thin catheter or tube is left in place and medication is given as needed. Usually the body from the middle of the abdomen down to the feet becomes numb The legs feel very heavy, and moving them without help or walking is impossible. Many women no longer have any sense that they are in labor some continue to feel tightening of the stomach or mild pelvic pressure. The pain block lasts around an hour, depending on the strength of the labor and the women's tolerance for pain and what anesthetics were used. If the catheter was left in place, as is commonly done, a continuous infusion or repeated doses of the medication can be given without having to repeat the insertion procedure.Use of an epidural is far safer than general anesthesia for both the mother and baby, if cesarean section is indicated. For certain women experiencing serious health problems, such as high blood pressure or heart problems, the epidural can potentially prevent further illness or death during labor. However, we must remember that there are several drawbacks to this method of pain relief and there are some serious potential health risks for the mother and baby. Epidurals, like any medical tool, can be used wisely to positive effect or lead to serious unintended results. They can sometimes signal the beginning of a cascade of interventions that culminate in a cesarean section..Epidurals do not always work as advertised. There can be difficulties with placing it, leading to long and uncomfortable repeated attempts by the anesthesiologist to insert the needle into the proper place. This is more common in overweight women, because the physicians use bony landmarks to find the proper spot for insertion. Once it is in place the pain block can be patchy, with numbness over most of the legs and lower abdomen, hampered by the persistence of a small "window" of pain usually on one side of the abdomen. Or it might not work at all. Both of these problems can usually be corrected by moving the catheter, if that fails, a repeat of the insertion procedure is necessary.A woman needs to have an IV in place before and for the duration of her labor with the epidural. This is because one common side effect of the medication is a drop in blood pressure, immediately after it is given This can lead to a drop in the blood flow to the baby and a drop in the baby's heart rate. IV fluids before and after the procedure, along with medications to raise the blood pressure can usually correct the problem. Procedures vary with institutions and providers, but usually the baby's heart rate must be monitored continuously and the mother's blood pressure checked periodically. So now the woman who walked into the room under her own power is unable to even turn over in bed without help, has an IV in her arm, a belt around her belly with monitors and cables to the fetal monitor, a catheter in her back that may run to a medication pump, and sometimes a blood pressure cuff around her arm If the fetal heart rate looks troublesome, especially if it dropped along with the woman's blood pressure, the attendant may want to attach a more sensitive monitor to the baby's head. This would necessitate breaking the bag of water, if it was not yet broken. The cable for the monitor runs out the woman's vagina to the fetal monitoring unit. Also, oxygen via a mask on the woman's face will commonly be used to bring more oxygen to the baby. Because of the numbness, many women are unable to urinate until the epidural wears off. So, along with all the other tubes and wires, she will need a catheter into the bladder to empty her urine. This urine tube carries with it a risk of urinary tract infection in the postpartum period. If narcotics are used, a common side effect is intense itching, usually of the face and stomach Also it is not uncommon to shiver uncontrollably after receiving an epidural. Some amount of back discomfort from bruising at the insertion site is common for some days after birth.Up to this point I have discussed the effects of the epidural that could be termed merely annoying. In my experience, woman who really want an epidural don't seem to mind all the tubes and wires or being numb and detached from her labor. However, epidurals also have potential effects that are more serious The most common, but still rare (about 1 out of a hundred) problem occurs when the fluid space that surrounds the cord is punctured. This is called a spinal puncture and can lead to an extremely debilitating and painful headache within 24 hours. The anesthesiologist can usually warn you if this has occurred and it is treatable. Very rarely there is a problem with the insertion and medication is inadvertently injected into the spinal space, resulting in a higher level of numbness. The arms and muscles that control breathing may be affected. Artificial respiration may be required until the effects of the medication have worn off. If the medication is accidentally injected into a blood vessel, seizures can result. These last two very rare problems are medical emergencies and require skillful medical care and usually an immediate cesarean section to deliver the baby, while the mother's medical condition is stabilized..A commonly acknowledged problem with the epidural is its effect on labor. A woman who receives an epidural may increase her risk of cesarean by as much as five times. This is not simply a problem with the contractions slowing down, because contractions can be stimulated with pitocin by IV. Many women who have epidurals need pitocin to continue labor. Even with pitocin, a higher number of women cannot birth their baby without the use of forceps, vacuum, or cesarean. The numbness produced by the epidural makes it more difficult to push effectively, prolonging this stage of labor, and exhausting the mother Many women are not aware of their contractions and need to be told when to push. Allowing the epidural to wear off before beginning pushing can prevent this to some extent, but not only is it often difficult for women to handle the pain of contractions after being pain-free for so long, but also the muscle weakness and leg heaviness seem to last longer than the pain relief. Therefore, the woman is in pain and still not necessarily able to push effectively .A woman who receives an epidural is more likely to give birth by cesarean because of failure to dilate. The hypothesized reason for this is that the muscles of the pelvic floor relax and allow the baby to assume a less optimal position. The baby's head then fails to apply proper pressure to help the cervix to dilate. Also the baby can get stuck in a position that makes it more difficult to fit down the birth canal, such as posterior or "sunny side up" The greatest risk of cesarean comes when the epidural is given in early labor, before 5 centimeters, especially if the woman is having her first vaginal birth. Also, if the baby is still high up in the pelvis or in a posterior position when the epidural is given, the risk of cesarean is elevated. If the baby is low down (called zero station) when the epidural is given, the risk of cesarean may not be increased Effects have also been noted on the babies. Infants who are exposed to epidurals can have behavior difficulties in the first days after birth They can be more irritable and hard to console and may be less responsive. They can have difficulty coordinating their movements and responding to reflexes, which can make early breast feeding difficult This has implications for successful establishment of breast feeding as early and frequent feeding is ideal to secure a proper milk supply Additionally, it has also been researched the long term side effects. Behavioral problems later in life such as ADD ADHD and Autism Has been linked back to epidurals. It is said that this pain medication can cause minor brain damage in infants that are not noticeable till the later years. Not to mention the bonding between parents and the baby can be disturbed, which has potential life-long consequences for the parent-child relationship The fact remains that a woman who wants to maximize her ability to birth her baby vaginally, unassisted by forceps or vacuum, should Seriously consider and attempt all reasonable alternatives available to her before requesting an epidural. A woman who has become educated about pregnancy, childbirth, and breast feeding and has avoided all potential harms to her child by eating properly and exercising during her pregnancy (you took caution for 10 months whats another 24 hours) may want to carefully consider the potential effects of an epidural on her ability to successfully breast feed and bond with her baby after birth. Please don't write to me and tell me how you had an epidural at 2 centimeters and you pushed for twenty minutes and delivered the baby without an episiotomy and the baby latched on right away and still nurses 10 times a day. I have seen it happen, too. As I stated earlier, many women seem very satisfied with their experience with epidurals. However, a discussion of epidurals is not complete without serious consideration of the potential risks involved.

Merry Christmas!!!

what a busy couple days we have had. Nathan and i kept saying that we were so tired of the constant running around and trying to split our time up between families. it was so hectic and in all the chaos it seemed that we had forgotten why we even wanted to spend time with our families when after the stress of going from point A to point B we just wanted to sleep through it all. this year we decided to do what WE wanted to do. we cant make everyone happy but as long as the kids were happy (which they never were in past holidays spending a good portion of the day in the car) then that's all we care about. the kids had been counting down the days till Christmas all month. all I've heard all is how they were so excited for baby Jesus birthday and to make cookies and pick out presents for everyone. Nathan and i were very excited as well. all month we have been doing things to get hyped up like making treats, adopting a few families, picking out my nieces and nephews gifts, planing trips to the cabin, getting gift bags ready to hand out to the homeless, decorating and of course watching Christmas movie after Christmas movie!

 i have seem to put my pictures on here backward so ill start from Christmas day and then work my way back. we went to my mother and her girlfriends house with the kids, made breakfast and opened their gifts. the kids were pretty excited to hand out the presents to everyone and of course opening them to.

here is my mother and the twins opening gifts. jazzy got a barbie in a bikini which she immediately announced that the barbie needed new clothes to "cover up so she can walk around" but i explained that it was a bathing suit and she was getting ready to go swim. i have no idea what Jayvin is playing with.

 heres my mom and Ridge,

 my mom got jazzy a bike since she had gotten ridge one for his birthday. shes really excited to ride it and even rode it in the house.

 my moms girlfriend Karen picked out this ambulance for ridge and he quickly discovered all the buttons that made the lights and sounds

 this has to be one of the cutest pictures of Jayvin! not only does he look just like his daddy but his smile is just so darn cute!!!

 like i said were working our way backwards so this is before all the opening of presents started. Jayvin is trying to figure out who's getting what.

 so before we went to my mothers house  we had Christmas morning at ours. it was an early morning for us starting the day at 645am. for us that's really early since our kids usually don't wake up till 8 to 830am. Nathan and i were pretty tired, we had stayed up ALL night putting the kids doll house together but we were still very excited. this year was the first year that the kids received any gifts from us. we really didn't see the point in past years since they get so many gifts from family and friends and were so young that it really seemed like a waste.

i fell in love with this doll house on line but my bubble quickly burst when i saw the ridiculous price tag of $699.99. afford it or not I'm not one to even spend that on a car payment or rent let alone a doll house. but after looking online for days and collecting a couple coupon codes and signing up for a reward card that saved me 10% i managed to bring the price down to $230.00 and recieved a $50 gift card on top of that!!!! that was a steal so no way i could turn that down.

Jazzy LOVES it and i think Jayvin loves it more. the thing stands almost 6ft tall and 5ft wide its a little ridiculous. but after buying my nieces a dollhouse Jazzy really showed an interest.

 with the doll house came a free pack of wood blocks so i gave those to ridge for his present and he LOVES them. hes pretty protective over them too, these being the first thing I've never really made him share.

 ridge is fussing cause his stalking is so long he couldnt reach in to grab the little toys from the bottom.

 so each of the kids received one gift and then they each got some stocking stuffers. here's one of Jayvins. this is now his toy picker upper and he loves to try and put the dishes away with it, make his bed and shake hands. he also tortures his sister by running after her with it saying "its gonna get you" in a very taunting voice. very entertaining.

 ridge showing of his little wood airplane.

 jazzy with her new puzzle (the twins LOVE puzzles and can sit there for a good hour putting together the 100 piece by themselves)

 jayvin has been asking for a train all year but they are so popular i didn't know what kind to get. we had a train table but gave it to Olivia cause we would have no room for it here. so i found these very simple wood train tracks at ikea for $6.99 for a 10 pack of tracks which is MUCH cheaper then in stores. so i got him a couple of those and a few accessories and this is now his new FAVORITE thing to do.

 this is him first opening it. he LOVES it!!

 (working backwards). Christmas eve night we went to rick and Anna's and then Church after that. Anna, her sister Bea, and her mother all made a wonderful dinner. ham, pineapple tamales, chicken tamales, turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, potatoes, dips and some soups, it was a whole buffet of yummy goodness.

here's Olivia with one of her presents.

 here's jazzy holding up ridges toy for him since he was to busy playing with Olivia.

 Anna and Rick got the kids their first back packs and there so cute. here's ridges.

 Anna i swear he likes it he was just more into his other toy lol

 Olivia with here new book the kids got here.

 this is Jayvins back pack. aren't they just so cute! their not in school yet and they have already been getting their use. the kids like to fill it up with things to do when were getting ready to leave and ridge likes to hoard his toys in there so no one else can take them.

 Morgan and Olivia!

 Olivia also got all of us a zoo membership for the year which was very sweet of her. (thanks Rick and Anna)

before we went there we went to my sister and brother in laws house to have breakfast with everyone and to open gifts there. i forgot the camera for that part of the day of course but it was a lot of fun and all the kids had a blast opening and playing with their toys. Jennifer got the kids alot of learning toys which we love and also a cooking class at the little chefs academy. the kids will LOVE that! Nathans brother and sister in law Matt and Kris were unable to make it out but sent there best along with lots of fun gifts for the kids so that was very sweet of them.

like i was saying this month has been pcked full and its not slowing down anytime soon. in 2 days Nathan the kids and i all leave for Alabama for a week or so to go see my family. i will definitely share how that car ride goes and despite what people are telling me i feel it will go pretty smooth!

we hope everyone had a merry Christmas!

Mrs. Julia

the twins have a wonderful tutor name Mrs. Julia. they absolutely LOVE her. she has been a Montessori teach since 1999 so she is preparing the twins on what to expect in the Montessori classroom setting and to make sure they are prepared with their upcoming curriculum. as of right now the twins study with her 6 hours a week sometimes together and sometimes separately. in case some don't know a Montessori school is a school developed in the early 20th century, on the principles of Dr. Maria Montessori. These schools are a way of teaching children that is completely child centered and child directed. Though early Montessori schools were generally for nursery school and primary grade levels, there are now numerous Montessori schools that teach up to grade 12. The principal methods in a Montessori school emphasize several important beliefs. The first is that children have the capacity to direct their own learning. Second, children do not learn in the same manner as do adults, and not all children have the same learning methods. Children should be the “masters” of their environment, and schoolrooms are specifically prepared for this mastery. Exercises and equipment should be self-correcting so a child learns from his/her own mistakes and moves forward. Lastly the child determines the educational pace. school focuses much on hands on approaches to learning. Children should be allowed to interact, as much as possible, with all five senses in learning approaches. Most Montessori schools have a variety of hands on activities, and may offer opportunities to care for animals, to prepare food or to garden, as well as natural activities, like sweeping and cleaning. Letter grades are usually not a part of the Montessori school approach. Dr. Montessori felt that grades encourage unnatural and unhealthy competition that interferes with learning. Instead, students may be assessed by acquired skills. Today a Montessori school may offer grades since many parents feel they are necessary to assess the child from a scholastic standpoint. This can also be helpful for students who complete a 13-year education in a Montessori school, since grades are an important consideration of most colleges. There have been noted critics of the Montessori school approach, yet it is popular enough to have over 8000 Montessori schools in the US alone. Common criticism of Montessori methods sometimes register concern that certain students will not master all areas of scholastic importance if they remain uninterested in them. Some Montessori students have admitted difficulties with mathematics because they didn’t “have to” learn it. On average, the Montessori student tends to perform as well or better than those educated in traditional public schools. Math problems are not exclusive to Montessori students. Montessori school methods have also been criticized for not assigning homework. Some Montessori schools do now assign homework, but some critics are concerned about the transition required when students move to schools where homework is required. This is an ongoing debate that involves more than Montessori school methods. A few districts that are in other ways traditional have now outlawed homework, which has in general seen a sharp incline since the No Child Left Behind Act. A proponent of the Montessori school would argue that children are constantly learning, and thus being at home is a learning experience. Most Montessori schools in the US are private, and many come with high tuition. A few public school districts have attempted to introduce the Montessori school concepts into mainstream public schools. This has not met with complete success, since Montessori often implies the antithesis of traditional public schooling, where so much reliance is placed on students achieving at the same rate, and mastering certain skills at certain points. Some public charter schools are still attempting to bring Montessori concepts into mainstream education, which may prove interesting to watch.

we love what Montessori has to offer and we believe that the twins will excel not only in school but life as well.

Our Little House!!

I've said it before and ill say it again, Nathan and i are very simple, most times we don't like things to fancy, we never pay full price and hardly buy new. we barter a lot and try to reuse when possible. we prefer things more family oriented and would rather be down to one income so we can build memories with the kids, after all, its not about us and what we want its about them now. we figure as long as were not struggling then whats to worry. now, we live in a pretty small place now (1,000) sq ft and we LOVE it. when the kids get a little older we will move into a 3 bedroom but the place prob wont be much bigger then what we have now. we got a great deal on it, we went from paying 1,600 to 900 to 800 now to 500 a month and we have managed to continue to pay 1,600 a month but instead 1,100 to our savings and 500 to rent. i mean WHAT A WEIGHT OFF!! we got to talking the other night and thought how awesome it would be to have one of these!!!

its the little houses that you can take with you when you move or travel. we think they are amazing. who knows if we would ever get one but i keep telling Nathan we need to just buy a trailer and put it on lots of land. we don't spend much time inside anyways. well it was just a though =)

Our Trip To Santa's Village

Nathans mother, Joyce was sweet enough to take us all on a trip to Greer to see Santas village. its a 4 hour drive and the kids did great. the first hour they just played in their seats nicely and the other couple hours they watched a movie so i must say it was an easy ride! (it wasn't that cold on the way up there but Jayvin insisted on wearing is new jacket.

here's the beautiful scenery on the way up. it wasn't snowing but it was very beautiful

when we arrived at the cabin we snapped some shots. so here's jazzy striking a pose!

(from top to bottom) my niece Braelyn, Jayvin, Jazzy, and my niece Tavia

Ridge made his way in finally!

hers half of me, ridge and Nathan

after we got all settled we to eat and look who showed up! Mrs. Claus. it was really cute that her and jazzy were matching. our kids didn't quite understand who this lady was and had tons of questions. they don't know of St. Nicholas having a wife so we tried our best to explain it was just another tradition that some people like to incorporate, just like the elves and reindeer. i was surprised that they actually understood.

after dinner we took the charlie to "Santa's Workshop". it was VERY theatrical but it really allowed the kids to use some imagination.

when you walk in there are tons of the old school toys encased behind these windows. it was nice to remember the simplicity of the toys back in the day.

here's was a very hyper, and a little annoying elf. i cant remember his name but he left me a little rattled lol.

here's was Jayvin's favorite part!

after a while the kids were led into a room to "make some toys". it was really cute!

after toys Santa gave all the kids some cookies and snowman soup aka hot chocolate.

at the end the kids got to take a picture with Santa and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. Jayvin said he wanted a train and jazzy said "can i have a pet reindeer? oh and can you also make sure to tell whoever really gives kids toys to give lots of toys to the kids who dont have any toys!" it was really cute.

the whole experience was very festive. i would definitely recommend the Santa's Workshop to any one whether you "do" Santa or not. our kids understood that it was not real but had fun playing pretend.

When The Going Gets Tough Turn To Santa NOT God

now that times are getting hard the economy is getting the best of us and we are resorting to the bare necessities its time to have a little faith.... in Santa. even writing it seems ridiculous to me. a fat man in a red suit with flying reindeer's who break into homes every Christmas eve! so yes we are talking about the Santa that every one celebrates today not the real st. Nicholas of the past. please watch this video and see what i mean and then ill explain more.

http://news.yahoo.com/video/business-15749628/letters-to-santa-sign-of-tough-times-23526815

try to copy and past that in your browser if you cant click on it. its definitely worth a watch.

first off id like to say how happy it makes me that these children aren't thinking of only themselves but of others instead. but what irritates me is that given the time of year kids are able to express their needs and concerns to Santa clause but then what do you tell them that their supposed to do the other 11 months out of the year?! are they just S.O.L? or do you tell them to pray to Jesus the other 11 months out of the year but hes on vacation the whole month of December (for his birthday)? why are these parents letting their children have such faith in a mythical being (knowing that they are a fable) but its so hard to have their children pray instead. maybe these parents are having there children do both but even then it seems that their putting Santa and Jesus on the same level of importance.

as Ive stated in another blog our family (including our kids) know that Santa is not real. you parents know that Santa is not real. so for those of you who do believe in god whether it be a Christan god or any other god ( i don't judge on that subject) i would encourage all to have their children pray and teach them to have faith in something that s real (or harder to question) then a story or tradition such as Santa clause.

we teach our children to pray in tough timea and we still, around Christmas celebrate St. Nicholas... as he really was- a child from Greece, who grew up with a wealthy Christan family who new the importance of helping others. they believed that giving to others just as Jesus gave to them is what they were meant to do. when his family died he carried on the tradition of giving people food, money and other necessities in secret, (showing them the love that Jesus had showed his family) so became the tradition of St. Nichols. our kids see Santa every where this time of year. they know the true story of St Nichols so we just tell them that people dress up like Santa clause to celebrate St. Nicholas and all the nice things St. Nicholas did for others. we tell them that we give present to others to show the love that Jesus has shown to us in hopes that they will show others that same love. there is no reason that you cant celebrate Santa and jesus at the same time but why must we celebrate the fictional portals, reindeer, and everything else that goes along with the fictional character. why not celebrate the REAL story.

i went off on a tangent i know, but it gets me so worked up that one would put such faith in their kids that they know is wrong. if you are a parent that wants to celebrate both Jesus and st. Nicholas i highly recommend getting the movie Veggie tales, St. Nicholas, a story of joyful giving for you kids. its only $9.99 and sold at most targets and walmarts.

now for those who don't believe in god, i don't judge that either, i still think its wrong to lie to your children about Santa when their is a whole story about there about him that is based on truth. in my opinion that's giving a great man (st. Nicholas) a bad reputation that he didn't even ask for.

Ridge's First Shiner

ridge is a pretty rough boy especially compared to my other 2 kidoes so it surprises me that he got his first shiner the other day =(. i heard him cry from the other room but it wasn't a distressed cry so i didn't think anything of it. next thing i know hes running up to me laughing and that when i see his eye. i freaked out cause it was a huge knot that was rock hard right on his cheek bone. i asked the twins what happened and they said he hit his face on the bed. i guess that's what the cry was for but it was more like a whine, i couldn't believe that with a knot that big he managed to get himself up and playing again! i put some ice on it and go figure, 5 minutes later his eye was swollen shut and that's when he really started crying. he was so upset that he couldn't see he just started screaming lol. the swelling finally went down a few hours later and now its just a huge bruise. i guess this will be one of many!

From One Food Lover To Many

i have always reintroduced the same food over and over again even if the kids didn't like it. did you know that human taste buds have a life span of 10 to 14 days before they are replaced. most people don't realize this because when a child or yourself tries a food and you don't like it you usually don't try it again for a few years if ever. just like taste buds children go through phases, babies will eats mostly anything up until about 18 months and they usually go through a "white phase" refusing all but white foods like pasta, bread etc. that usually lasts a year until they develop a taste for more strongly flavored foods, or they want nothing but applesauce for a week or toast. it always amazes me how many phases kids go through. its easier for us to stick with some dinner rules to ensure that the kids eat good and so far it has worked great for us!

RULES

-you have to try new foods. just a bite. even if your sure you wont like it just by looking at it you still have to try. if you don't like it then you don't have to eat it.

-you have to try that same new food the next time it appears on your plate cause you didn't give it a fair chance the last time you tried it (no i don't call choking a bite size of a lentil while making gagging sounds a fair chance)

-seriously, third times a charm.

-take a little of everything. you can always have more.

-if you don't eat ANYTHING that's on your plate (i always make at least ONE thing i KNOW they like) then you can wait till the next meal.

-everyone gets dessert (after all it was a huge effort trying something new) just a little, unless your sick of course.

we definitely don't bribe them with dessert and don't make them eat everything on their plate if they say they are full, i thinks that's just unhealthy.

i feel that because of what eat eat in our home and the dinner times rules it has made our kids pretty healthy eaters. i thought i would blog about some of our kids favorite things to eat.

up until recently jazlynn has always had picky taste buds. she is now discovering new foods to try and her taste buds have definitely changed over time. she now has some very strong taste buds and love some very uncommon foods. here's is one of her favorites.

I'm sure you recognize those. there one of my favorites to. she really likes the red sauce with pork or beef tamales the best. jayvin and ridge both love them to.

now here is one of jayvins favorite foods.

as long as the sushi doesn't have the raw fish rapped on the outside then hes fine. I've let him taste a few of the ones with raw fish on the inside and he does love them but with him being so young i don't want him to get sick from the bacteria. we usually stick with the cali rolls or some with smoked fish inside. jazlynn and ridge aren't huge fans though.

all of my kids love these though. edamame! we buy these in bulk from Costco and have them as snacks.

all three of the kids love calamari as well (squid) when we go out to eat they always share a big plate of calamari. we also made sure to show them what calamari looks like when its alive and explain to the that its the same (we do this with all food) that way hopefully they wont get grossed out when their older like i did with liver.

now this is a new one that we have tried. its called menudo soup. its a Mexican dish made with cow stomach (tripe) with a red chili base (some times made with a clear broth). some people put onions, and cilantro chilli's in it. Nathan hates it, i like the broth but not the meat but jazzy and ridge love this soup, jayvin not so much.

ridge and jayvin have a high tolerance to spicy foods, they always have. jazlynns tolerance to spicy foods is more then most kids her age but nothing near to ridges and jayvins.

jazzy and jayvin aren't HUGE meat eaters (they get that from me) unless the meat is mixed with something. at home we eat lots of veggies and fruit, tofu, boca and white meat. we don't eat any red meat at home at all. we also eat raw as much as possible. like most children they love treats like cookies and brownies but we don't ever keep these at home (unless its the holidays) and really try to make it a big deal when they do get it. ridge on the other hand isn't a big fan of the treats. but none of the kids are allowed hard or chewy candy, but they don't seem to mind. jazzy and jayvin aren't really big eaters quanity wise) and we don't really mind because they still try everything on thier plate and usually eat a good amount.

just another random blog i though i would share.